Sometimes it’s not where you hit in the lineup, but how much you hit in the lineup.
On May 31, the Indians turned loose the caboose of their lineup, and Lonnie Chisenhall and Mike Aviles delivered.
No. 8 hitter Chisenhall and No. 9 hitter Aviles combined to go 5-for-7 with two home runs, three runs scored and seven RBI as the dead-end kids led the Indians to a 7-6 victory over the Colorado Rockies.
Aviles had the biggest hit of the game, in the bottom of the eighth inning, after relievers Scott Atchison and Josh Outman torched a 6-2 lead in the seventh.
With the game tied, 6-6, pinch hitter Jason Kipnis led off the bottom of the eighth by drawing a walk from left-hander Rex Brothers. Kipnis went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Chisenhall.
That brought up Aviles, with Michael Bourn on deck.
“Left-hander on the mound, left-handed hitter on deck. I figured he wasn’t going to give me anything on the plate, so I tried to be patient, which really isn’t my style,” said Aviles.
It paid off.
Aviles sliced a single to right field, scoring Kipnis with what became the winning run after Cody Allen got the final three outs in the ninth inning to pick up his third save.
“I got one to hit and was lucky enough that it fell in,” said Aviles, who also walloped a three-run home run off Franklin Morales in the second inning — but not before Chisenhall’s RBI single.
Those hits by Mr. 8 and Mr. 9 gave the Indians an early 4-0 lead.
Don’t look now, but Aviles, who doesn’t even play every day, is third on the Indians with 21 RBI.
“He knows he’s going to play more than the average guy who doesn’t start, so he stays in shape and stays ready,” said Manager Terry Francona. “You almost go looking for ways to get him into games.”
In the sixth inning Chisenhall belted a mammoth 422-foot two-run home run to give the Indians that 6-2 lead. Both of Chisenhall’s hits came off Morales, a left-hander.
Last year, Chisenhall hit .111 against left-handed pitchers. This year: .563 (9-for-16).
“He’s doing everything better. He’s playing the game really well, and the fact that we can move him from third to first base late in games, that’s quite an accomplishment on his part,” said Francona.
Trevor Bauer started for the Indians and pitched six strong innings — two runs, four hits, eight strikeouts, one walk — but was denied the win in the seventh inning, when Atchison gave up a solo home run to Corey Dickerson and Outman, in his only pitch of the game, gave up a three-run home run to Charlie Blackmon.
Not to worry, though. Aviles rode to the rescue in the eighth inning with his RBI single.
Notes
Bryan Shaw, who is quietly having a terrific season, pitched 1 2/3 hitless and scoreless innings to get the win. Shaw is 2-1 with a 1.37 ERA. ... Michael Brantley’s club record 19-game home hitting streak was snapped when he went 0-for-4. ... Aviles is the second Indians hitter this season to have four RBI while hitting ninth in the order. David Murphy also did it. ... In the series finale June 1 at 1:05 p.m., Josh Tomlin (3-2, 3.04) will face Jhoulys Chacin (0-4, 5.20).